Supreme Court of Canada clarifies exemptions to Jordan trial delay timelines for complex cases

Summary

The Supreme Court of Canada has issued a new ruling clarifying exemptions to the strict trial timelines established in its landmark 2016 Jordan decision. The ruling reaffirms that complex criminal prosecutions involving large volumes of documents, numerous co-accused, or extensive wiretap evidence can be exempt from the deadlines. The Jordan decision has led to thousands of criminal cases being thrown out due to unreasonable delays, and this new ruling provides additional criteria for when trials can exceed those limits.